To see God's faithfulness in our lives is overwhelming to me. It was only a few short weeks ago that my friend and I met and began conversations about life. She began coming to Bible Study on Sunday nights and soon after professed Jesus as her Savior and Lord. She has quickly become a dear friend and I am so excited to walk along this journey with her. Isaac, our neighbor who was baptized has been a faithful attender of our weekly bible study since the very beginning. He has become a fixture at our house and has adopted us as his second home even though all the boys bounce back and forth from his house and ours. He asked Jesus to be his savior a few weeks ago after a bible study one Sunday and immediately wanted to get baptized. So here are a few clips and pictures from the baptism service.
We are so thankful for our new brothers and sister in Christ. The first step of obedience for a person who accepts Jesus as Savior is Baptism. Baptism is a rich symbol, publicly proclaiming the decision made to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. The water is not what saves the person, but is a symbol of what has been done in the heart and an important way of professing one's faith in Christ. Romans 6:3-4 says, "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."
Salvation is a gift of God, not something we can achieve on our own. (Romans 12:3). Baptism is a gift to the Church to allow the faithful a means of expressing their faith and gratitude for God's redemptive work. Baptism is a walk of obedience to Christ after accepting the free gift of Salvation. As Jesus was baptized by John in the River Jordan, we follow Jesus' example when we accept the Lord as our Savior.
Matthew 28:19-20 "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Running the water hose for the baptistery
All hands on deck getting set up!
The Camp Curtin YMCA gym being transformed into church.
Here is a shot of the friends and family who showed up to celebrate along with us. As I look at all the precious people the Lord has woven in our lives I just don't have words to express the depth of joy it brings. We pray our bible study groups will continue to grow so we can soon gather together for worship each week. God is faithful.
Billy is introducing the gang and explaining Baptism. God is faithful.
These two young ladies blessed our time of worship with song. Their hearts are so tender and are pursuing the Lord. God is faithful.
Pizza and hanging out after the service. God is faithful.
It is privilege to have all these ladies as neighbors. God is faithful.
The crew with the pastors. God is faithful.
While the lives being changed are personal and the connections are deep for both us and the Shays, we are excited about how God is building His church here in Harrisburg. It is impossible for both our our families to separate life and ministry and for that we are all thankful. God is faithful in the lives of all the people we have met and we are excited to watch His faithfulness continue as lives are changed for His glory.
Yay! Amen!!!!!
ReplyDelete